Consumed energy by commercial operations division in architectures like buildings in Japan is 20% or so of the whole final energy consumption. Hence, if the manager of the buildings and the users thereof can continuously accomplish energy saving, it is effective to suppress the final energy consumption.
In addition, in response to the recent electricity demand tightness, the needs for a peak cut which reduces the consumed energy in a time slot at which the demand becomes maximum are becoming high. For example, an upper limit of electricity usage is placed on a large consumer like a building. Still further, the needs for a peak shift which utilizes batteries and heat storing devices to shift the time at which the energy consumption becomes maximum are also becoming high.
In view of such circumstances, in order to suppress the energy consumption, it is expected that introduction of energy supplying devices utilizing renewable energies, such as solar light and solar heat, will be further accelerated in future.
However, the output by the energy supplying devices utilizing the renewable energy varies depending on a meteorological phenomenon condition like weather. Hence, it is expected that introduction of energy storing devices that compensate such variance, such as batteries and heat storing devices, will increase in future.
Based on the above factors, it is expected that the energy supplying devices and the energy storing devices installed in facilities like buildings will be diversified. Accordingly, a planning scheme becomes necessary for an operating schedule to appropriately link those devices with conventional devices, etc., and to accomplish an effective operation in the whole architecture.
For example, there is a scheme that minimizes the consumed energy, the costs, and the CO2 generating quantity within a predetermined time period for energy supplying facilities including a heat storage tank.
In addition, there are also a scheme of performing a peak cut based on a prediction of an air conditioner load, and a scheme of utilizing an ice heat storing air conditioner to a peak cut.